Chapter 6: The Muckers

Wyatt groaned as he pulled himself out of a deep, drug-induced sleep. Not quite ready to open his eyes, he instead found a bit of comfort in the feeling of being perfectly content. Not with his physical situation...right now he felt as if his entire body were made of lead. Wyatt grunted as he attempted to shift in his bed to find a more comfortable position. There was very little he could do in the way of relief; his right arm, injured as it was, felt stiff and sore. His left, was currently housing an IV line which made lying on his back really the only option he had. His contentment, therefore, lay in the fact that for the first time in a long time, he felt that someone was watching out for him. Lucy sitting vigilantly by his side all night, making sure he was taking his medicine...he couldn't remember the last time anyone had cared enough to do that.

Blindly reaching out for where he had last felt her presence by his side, he couldn't help the pang of disappointment that followed when the only thing his wandering fingers discovered was the course blankets that adorned their now shared cot. That disappointment was short-lived, however. He could hear someone shifting around the room, trying to be as quiet as possible, but failing miserably. With a smirk on his face, but his eyes still closed he murmured, "If you wanted to wake the whole bunker, all you had to do was ask, ma'am"

"I don't think that's entirely appropriate, do you, Master Sergeant?" Agent Christopher quipped.

Jerking awake at the sound of his superior's voice, Wyatt cursed and sat straight up in bed to see Agent Christopher biting back a smirk at the mortified expression on Wyatt's face. "I…I'm sorry, ma'…I mean, um…Agent Christopher." Wyatt stammered out awkwardly. "I…um…I didn't realize…"

"That's quite alright." Agent Christopher responded with a wave of her hand, "you don't have to explain anything to me." She surveyed him with a bit of concern, looking every bit like the mother Wyatt never knew. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." Wyatt answered truthfully. "Medical team still here?"

"Yes." Agent Christopher nodded, "they set up camp in in one of the storage rooms, but I imagine if all checks out today, they'll be free to go." She flipped open his chart, "Your fever seems to have stabilized and it appears that the swelling in your arm has gone down considerably since they started this treatment."

"That ought to make Lucy happy." Wyatt murmured, vaguely wondering why it was Agent Christopher and not Lucy who was telling him all of this.

"Speaking of Ms. Preston…I see that you and she finally decided to make things official." Agent Christopher noted as she looked around their shared room.

Wyatt, remembering what Lucy had said about Human Resources violations suddenly felt very much on the spot, half wondering if the reason Agent Christopher was in their room was to give him a reprimand. "Well…um…" he began before narrowing his eyes and asking, "Wh…what do you mean by finally make things official?"

Letting out a sigh, Agent Christopher sank down in a chair by his bedside and smiled, "I mean that it's no secret that the two of you have been…close… for quite some time, I'm just glad you finally decided to do something about it."

Wyatt gaped at her slightly not sure how he should respond. As far as he was aware he had kept been keeping Lucy at an arm's length. The only one who had ever suspected anything further as far as he was aware was…."Rufus" Wyatt breathed out softly.

"What was that, Master Sergeant?"

"Oh, nothing ma'am…" Wyatt muttered, "just, that I suppose Rufus said something to you all…about…well…you know."

Agent Christopher raised her eyebrows at him and chuckled, "Actually Mr. Carlin hasn't said a word to me about your relationship with Ms. Preston, but really Wyatt…do you honestly expect me to believe that you think I wouldn't have put two and two together after you tried to blow torch your way out of this bunker to go look for her?" She rolled her eyes at him, "Give me a little credit."

Wyatt chuckled dryly and shrugged slightly, "I…I guess I was a little obvious, yeah." Wyatt cleared his throat and asked seriously, "So…you're…you're fine with this?"

"Fine?" Agent Christopher asked, surprised, "Why wouldn't I be? You're both two, mature adults who obviously care about each other a great deal…and this little rooming situation just won me $20 dollars from Connor." At Wyatt's questioning glance she explained, "He didn't think you two would ever…"

"Happen?" Wyatt asked with raised eyebrows.

Agent Christopher nodded at him fondly, "Precisely."

"So…"began Wyatt, "if I'm not in trouble, then…why are you here?"

Taking a deep breath, the Homeland Security agent stood up from her chair and walked over to Wyatt's bedside, "Because I made a promise that I would be here when you woke up." she declared as she checked her watch, "oh, and I believe it is time for your pain medication."

Wyatt sighed, "Oh my God, she's recruited you in all of this?" Far from annoyed, Wyatt couldn't help by smile at the persistence of Lucy Preston. Never in his life had he ever had anyone fuss over him as much as she had in just the past 24 hours…not even Jessica. The fact that she couldn't leave his side without ensuring that someone else was there to watch over him was enough to make him feel cared for in a way he had never felt before…and he found himself suddenly missing her…even if she was bossy as hell. "Did she finally take a break?" Wyatt asked as he took his pills from Agent Christopher, "Let me guess she's watching some trashy reality TV show with Jiya?"

"No." Agent Christopher admitted with a frown. "She's not here." Wyatt's eyes darted up to hers in confusion as she continued, "She's in 1934…we believe Rittenhouse is going after a young John F. Kennedy"

Momentarily shocked by Agent Christopher's revelation, Wyatt sat gaping at her until the awful truth sunk in. "Why the hell didn't anyone wake me?" he snarled as he swung his legs out of bed and pulled out his IV tube. "How do you expect Lucy and Rufus to get through this mission without someone there to protect them?"

"They didn't go alone, Wyatt." Agent Christopher sounded over him.

Wyatt stared back at her, disbelief, fear, and anger etched all over his face. "You didn't…" he spat out angrily, "tell me you didn't…"

Agent Christopher looked back at him stoically and admitted with some reluctance, "They went with Garcia Flynn."

The picturesque campus of Choate, with its red bricked buildings topped with white cupolas, stood near the center of the sleepy town on Wallingford, Connecticut. The day, though sunny, was cool and crisp and the trees were just beginning to turn from a verdant shade of green to the fiery hues of Autumn.

Hugging her "borrowed" coat around her shoulders with one hand while securing her mad cap hat with the other, Lucy walked resolutely against a sudden gust of wind, calling back over her shoulder to Flynn and Rufus, "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we get back."

Lucy, of course, had plenty of reason to be anxious to get back home to the present. Wyatt was now probably aware of their absence and just the thought of him waking up to find the LifeBoat gone and them missing was enough to send her into an agitated fit. The fact that Rufus and Flynn were currently at each other's throats didn't help calm her nerves or ease the tension now creeping its way into her neck and shoulders.

"I tried to tell you that flying in the LifeBoat was nothing like travelling in the Mothership, but you didn't listen." Rufus muttered as he jogged to keep up with Lucy.

"Fine. What do you want? A medal? I just didn't think the Lifeboat was that much of a hunk of junk." Flynn countered irritably, "You still didn't have to laugh while I was doubled over back there."

"Consider it payback for the bullet you had Al Capone lodge in my gut." snapped Rufus, "I don't remember you giving two shits about that."

"Oh, my God, will you two just STOP?" Lucy finally spat out turning on them brusquely, "I don't want to hear anymore arguments out of either of you. Got it?"

Flynn and Rufus glowered at each other. But said no more.

Standing in front of the administration building, the trio suddenly looked as if they had no idea what to do….and they didn't. Rufus raised his eyebrow at Lucy as he shoved his hands in his pockets, "So, what are the odds they're gonna let us bust into one of these classrooms and take off with a young JFK? He was probably their poster child."

"Actually, he wasn't." Lucy said with a raised eyebrow. "John F. Kennedy made himself a reputation at this school alright, but it wasn't because he was a stellar student…it wasn't even because of his family."

"What did he romance all of the teachers or something?" Rufus asked glibly.

Lucy sighed, "No…this may surprise you, but John F. Kennedy wasn't actually a very good student."

Flynn looked around at the pristine campus, "It seems to me he would have had to have kept up decent grades to stay in a place like this." he quipped.

"Generally, you would." Lucy acknowledged with a nod, "But John F. Kennedy was…special."

"Special like this kid is going to be President someday, special or special because his parents were rich ass white folks, special?" Rufus asked as he took a seat on a nearby park bench.

"Yes, his family's wealth had a lot to do with the school administration turning the other cheek, but a lot of it had to do with his older brother, Joe. Joe was the pride and joy of the Kennedy family, he was the one they had pinned all of their hopes for success on," Lucy scoffed as she muttered quietly, feeling the point hit a little too close to home, "as is the case with most older siblings."

It was true. She had always been the academic in their small family, the one her mother had harped on day in and day out to read some book or recall some random piece of historical drivel. For years, she had felt the pressure of living up to her mother's expectations…always falling short, never quite living up to what her mother had deemed, "her full potential." Amy, meanwhile, had been wild, rambunctious, and given almost free reign by contrast. While she adored her younger sister, she had always felt a bit envious of her freedom, of her carefree existence. Where Lucy would have had hell to pay for missing an assignment, Amy was lightly reprimanded and dismissed as if she hadn't mattered.

Knowing what she knew now, Lucy wondered, if maybe that had been the case. Had Amy ever mattered to her mother?

Yes, Lucy had had all the pressure of following in her mother's footsteps and at the time she had been jealous of Amy. Now, however, she was just sad. All those times she had complained that Amy was favored because she was given so much more flexibility and her crazy whims (dropping out of school to do a podcast) were hardly met with a blink of an eye from her mother...it wasn't because her mother loved Amy more...it was because she didn't. Amy had never been a part of her mother's evil schemes...no, the responsibility of carrying on the legacy of Rittenhouse had fallen squarely on Lucy' shoulders and now more than ever, she felt the burden of it.

Lost in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed that her soft utterance had been heard by Garcia Flynn, who was now looking at her intently. Leaning forward he whispered, "Yes, it can be difficult. All that pressure to make your parents proud so that you can one day take their place in the world…"

Lucy turned to Flynn, who was looking at her meaningfully, when Rufus, who hadn't heard any of Flynn's whispered exchanged, probed, "So, wait a minute are you saying that John F. Kennedy wasn't supposed to be President?"

Staring at Flynn, Lucy cleared her throat and turned to Rufus, "No…originally the family's hope was that Joe Kennedy would rise to political fame. He was well on his way as a student here. He was one of the best students, popular with faculty, a star pupil and athlete. He graduated…well, last year from this present - in 1933."

"So, what happened…how come we got John F. Kennedy instead of Joe Kennedy?" Rufus asked with a shrug.

"He was killed in World War II." Flynn answered before Lucy could even get a word out. As she shot him a questioning glance, he shrugged, "I do know some history, myself."

Rufus looked to Lucy for confirmation of Flynn's statement and then with narrowed eyes asked, "So, what does Joe Kennedy's death have to do with John F. Kennedy's becoming President?"

"Well, all of the family's hopes were pinned on Joe…but when he died…well, it went to the next oldest brother." Lucy sighed, "The problem was, JFK wasn't just a less than mediocre student, he was also very sickly. In fact, the summer of 1934 he had spent at the Mayo clinic in Rochester, Minnesota." Lucy shook her head, "He had appendicitis, boils, chronic colds…at one point they believed he had cancer…but later they discovered it was colitis. Because of that he was pulled off sports and spent most of his time in the infirmary on campus."

"Probably didn't help those grades." Rufus observed with a low whistle.

"No." Lucy agreed. "But even that wasn't what earned him a reputation at Choate. Call it sibling rivalry, a bid for attention…whatever you want, but John F. Kennedy was…well, to be perfectly frank, a troublemaker."

"In a place like this?" Rufus snorted, "It probably didn't take much. What, did he not tuck his shirt into his pants? Go to class without his bow tie?"

"A lot more serious than that." Lucy said solemnly, "He and his group of friends were called "The Muckers". For the most part they just engaged in practical jokes, filling another student's room with pillows, that kind of thing…but, he also used firecrackers to destroy a toilet."

Rufus laughed, "Really? Well, I guess to be fair, in a place like this, that's a pretty high offense."

Lucy nodded, "Yes, well…he's definitely not someone who wouldn't be caught up in some kind of mischief…so if Rittenhouse is here…"

"Kennedy probably wouldn't be that hard to find." Flynn answered knowingly. "Speaking as a former troublemaker myself," Rufus gaped in mocked astonishment as Flynn continued, "I spent a lot of time in detention…and if I wasn't there, I was in the halls, causing problems."

Lucy nodded, "Right, well, first things first…let's go to the Administration office and see if we can figure out where Kennedy is supposed to be. That will at least give us some idea of where to look." she sighed as she gestured to the sprawling campus. "We don't have a weapon along," Lucy reminded them, "so we'll need to be extra careful."

"And what do you suggest we do, Lucy, if Rittenhouse is here?" Flynn asked in irritation. "Without a gun, I can hardly stop them."

"I thought you could kill me without the benefit of a gun?" Rufus asked, "But Rittenhouse you have a problem with?"

"I didn't say that." Flynn argued angrily, "I'm saying that my job would be a lot easier if I had a damn gun!"

"No one is going to need a gun." Lucy said firmly, "Don't forget we're at a school. I don't think even Rittenhouse would risk doing something that careless. I mean, look at this place, it's probably crawling with Rittenhouse teenagers...you think they would risk wiping themselves out of the timeline?"

"Um…Lucy, what if Kennedy is a Rittenhouse teenager?" Rufus asked with hesitation.

Lucy stared blankly at him, "Well…I mean, I guess he could be…I just didn't think about it that way."

"So…" Rufus muttered with a look of sheer concern towards Flynn.

"So," Lucy maintained, "we make sure nothing changes. Kennedy is supposed to be President of the United States, we know they've come here…we may not know why, but they're here and our job is to find out what their plan is."

As they entered the Administration building, however, they immediately hit a snag. While Flynn and Lucy looked very much at home in the white washed halls of Choate, Rufus stuck out like a sore thumb. Almost as soon as they stepped through the doors, they were approached by a stern looking woman with glasses who was eyeing Rufus with a mixture of apprehension and…well, disgust. Flynn, taking note of her apparent issue, turned to Rufus and loudly instructed, "Thank you for driving us Rufus, it looks like you were right, this is the building we were looking for." He nodded pleasantly at the woman as he called out to Rufus, "You wait by the car and Lucy and I will be out in a jiffy."

Rufus did his best not to express outwardly what he was feeling towards Flynn inwardly, and so with a forced smile and a concerned look towards Lucy, he made his way out of the double doors and back onto the sidewalk outside.

Almost as soon as the door closed on Rufus, Flynn placed his hand on the small of Lucy's back, causing her to noticeably flinch at such an intimate touch. "Relax, honey." Flynn quipped. "I didn't mean to scare you." Flynn chuckled as he addressed the administration secretary, "My wife and I are considering sending our son to this school." Lucy sucked in a breath at his cover story, but forced a smile on her face and nodded as he continued, "we were in the area and thought we might stop by and see if we can meet with one of the officials to see if Choate is the right fit."

Immediately, the scowl that had been on the face of the secretary turned into a welcoming, simpering grin, "Why, of course," she cooed as she gestured them through the office, "it would be our pleasure Mr. and Mrs…"

"Lincoln." Flynn said with a nod and a sideways glance at Lucy who was doing her best to hide her glower. led the two of them off to a richly furnished ante-room to await the headmaster.

Once alone, Lucy rounded on Flynn, "What the hell was that?"

Flynn looked at her puzzled, "I thought you used aliases on your missions?" he asked, "I seem to remember Rufus declaring he was none other than Wesley Snipes in Arkansas…" Flynn chuckled, "why…that was in 1934 too wasn't it? - so what was that? Four months ago?"

The allusion to that particular mission sent a flush into Lucy's cheek. That mission that had changed her life so drastically because of a kiss in front of the notorious gangsters, Bonnie and Clyde. To think that mission that felt like so long ago had actually only been four months in the present they were currently in, was enough to make her head spin, particularly when she considered that they were now working with Flynn instead of dodging the spray of bullets he sent their way.

"I'm talking about all of that "honey" stuff you pulled back there." Lucy gritted out angrily.

Flynn shrugged, "I thought it was an appropriate cover, given the situation. I hardly think they'd believe that we were two time travelers here to protect a future President of the United States, do you?"

Lucy huffed out a breath. Of course, Flynn was right. Acting the part of a married couple interested in sending their child to Choate was one way to get into the school without drawing too much attention to themselves, but it didn't make her comfortable. Apart from her relationship with Wyatt, this was the man who had tried to murder her countless times, the man whom she had seen gun down others in his quest for vengeance against Rittenhouse. Which brought her to her next point, "But Lincoln? Really?"

Shrugging again, Flynn remarked, "I always found the parallels between Lincoln and Kennedy fascinating. Both served in the US House of Representatives, both were assassinated, both were succeeded by men named Johnson, Kennedy had a secretary named Lincoln, Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy…"

"Actually, that's an urban legend. Kennedy had a secretary named Evelyn Kennedy, but Lincoln's secretaries were John Nicholay and John Hay." Lucy said with an eyeroll, "but it's nice to see you read SPAM e-mails like the rest of the world…makes you a little more relatable."

Flynn chuckled, "I wasn't relatable before?"

Lucy stared at him, disbelieving. "I don't know many people who would steal a time machine and become a mass murderer through time to avenge the deaths of their family." Lucy said as she pursed her lips together, "Not generally something you hear over the water cooler."

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, but didn't Wyatt steal a time machine to bring back his wife?"

Lucy swallowed hard. The mention of Wyatt's dead wife and the memory of that awful, awful night gripped at her heart like a vise. She had been heartbroken by his admittance that getting kicked off the team, going to prison, potentially being lost to the team…to Lucy, forever would be worth it if only Jessica could be alive once more. Wyatt had told her she had nothing to worry about, and while she didn't believe that Wyatt would actively go back and try to save her if he was happy with her, she couldn't help but wonder, if only for a moment, what would have happened if he had been successful. Would he have been happy? Would he have left the team?

No. She couldn't do this to herself. Not here. Not now. But try as she might she couldn't help but give in to that familiar feeling of panic and dread at the thought of losing him to a ghost.

Keeping her eyes cast to the ground, Lucy muttered, "Wyatt didn't kill anyone…not on purpose, anyway." At Flynn's derisive laugh, however, Lucy's eyes darted to his in a flash of anger, "You gave him that name knowing it wouldn't work. Why?" Lucy demanded, her eyes boring into his.

Flynn bit his lip and looked away. Thinking she had won a small victory, Lucy sat back with a huff until Flynn pressed hesitantly, "I didn't mean to upset you, Lucy."

"You didn't upset me." Lucy lied. "You just cannot compare what Wyatt did to what you did…that's all."

Flynn frowned, "Well, I don't know about that. Both of us lost our wives…" Flynn said slowly, "…and both of us would do just about anything to get them back."

Lucy wanted to disagree with Flynn, wanted to tell him that Wyatt had given up on his quest to save Jessica…but she knew she couldn't…not in good faith, anyway. That conversation with Wyatt had been left hanging and she still wasn't sure how Wyatt would react, if by some miraculous event, she was suddenly alive again.

Flynn, seeing that he had affected Lucy, pressed further, "So, maybe Wyatt and I aren't so different, after all."

"Wyatt saved two other women with what he did." Lucy snapped. "You? You erased my sister and who knows how many others because of what you have done."

Flynn bowed his head with that admonition, looking, as Lucy noted with surprise, heartily ashamed of himself. Any further conversation between them, however, was sidelined by the arrival of the headmaster who greeted them warmly and ushered them out of the anteroom and into his main office.

Lucy sat in silence as Flynn discussed the ins and outs of their phony child's academic career and future aspirations. Though her conversation with Flynn had her rattled, her mind was more busily engaged on trying to figure out how they would discover the whereabouts of John F. Kennedy. Forming a plan, Lucy cleared her throat and interjected, "Hmmm…I don't know if this place is such a good fit for our boy. I've heard some talk about a gang of misfits."

The headmaster's face darkened as he admitted, "The Muckers…always loitering about the portico…but I assure you, madam, their antics are harmless juvenile pranks. Not one of them will amount to much and as far as this school is concerned, they are dealt with swiftly and appropriately. We take the safety of our students very seriously."

"I'm sure you do." Lucy said with a smile as she quirked her brow, "But if one of your students were in danger..."

The headmaster's face broke into a smile, "You have no need to worry about that here." He looked at Flynn knowingly, "She's just like my wife, always anxious."

Lucy ducked her head to hide the grimace on her face, as Flynn took over the conversation, "What my…ah…wife was trying to say is that we want to make sure that your campus has the proper security."

"We have a fine police force in Wallingford, but I have never had the need to call upon them, you have my word." He nodded in an attempt to assure Lucy, "This isn't the big city."

Lucy bristled slightly causing Flynn to put a hand on her arm, "Would it…ah…be possible for us to casually walkabout the campus?" Flynn asked. "We'd like to get a feel for the place, maybe talk to a few of your students to see how they like it here? Especially with…The Muckers…as you call them, prowling the halls?"

Desperate to impress, the headmaster was more than willing to oblige them, even providing a list of teachers that could assist them with any questions they might have about the demands required in their classrooms. Lucy didn't think their luck could get any better but as she and Flynn exited the building and reunited with Rufus, a peal of laughter drew their attention to a group of boys standing in a covered portico between two stately looking buildings.

Just where the headmaster said they'd be.

With a meaningful look at Rufus and Flynn, Lucy began making her way briskly towards the group, and she found, as they got closer, that she was not to be disappointed. There in the midst of a group of 12 others was none other than the future 35th President of the United States.

Feeling a bit dumbstruck to be just feet away from a teenage version of a man she had always admired, Lucy's brisk walk slowed considerably as she absolutely gawked at the group before her. He was a thin, gangly boy, fairly pale and bit sickly looking, but knowing all of the health problems he was suffering through, it was hardly surprising. Still, despite it all, he seemed to be very popular among his friends and Lucy couldn't help but smile at his charm.

Rufus, noticing Lucy's all too obvious expression of awe, hissed at her, "Lucy, I know this is an incredible moment for you and everything…and I feel you, I do…but I feel it is my duty, as your friend, to remind you that you are a grown ass woman, and those…those are teenage boys."

Startling to attention, Lucy colored a bit and rolled her eyes at Rufus "I'm sorry, okay? It's just…he's right there…" Lucy breathed out in amazement, "a young John F. Kennedy…wow."

Flynn raised his eyebrows and quipped, "I didn't realize you were such a fan."

"Lucy?" Rufus snorted, "Oh yeah, I guess you wouldn't have ever seen the way she fangirls over these historical figures…ya know, since you were always trying to kill us."

"Don't act like I'm the only one, Rufus. I seem to remember you practically drooling over Josephine Baker." Lucy muttered with a toss of her head.

"And Hedy Lamaar." Rufus added quickly. "But at least they were legal." he said pointedly to Lucy.

Lucy looked back at Rufus affronted, "Is it a crime to be a little fascinated at seeing one of the most memorable Presidents this country has ever had as a boy in school?"

"Well, let's hope he still lives to become one of the most memorable Presidents of all time," Flynn sneered impatiently, "if you remember we're here to stop Rittenhouse. Any idea on how we're going to do that when we don't even have a damn gun?"

Lucy bit her lip in thought. She hadn't really considered the how they were going to save Kennedy…only that they needed to…that was usually Wyatt's job. Lucy looked around at their surroundings; a boarding school in the middle of a sleepy New England town. Even Rittenhouse, Lucy thought, wouldn't be so cavalier as to murder a teenager as he made his way to his next class. There would be too many witnesses…students, teachers…

"We could alert the faculty." Lucy said hopefully. "We could let them know that we have reason to believe his life is in danger."

"And they're just going to believe us, Lucy?" Rufus scoffed in disbelief.

"Well, if you have a better idea, I'd love to hear it." Lucy snapped. "I mean, what are we supposed to do?"

Flynn was about to answer but the approach of a teacher, caused him to pause, a look of slight apprehension flitting across his face. Signaling the others to step back and observe, they listened as the teacher admonished the boisterous group of boys with a "Shouldn't you be in class?"

"Just on our way, Mr. Greer." came the almost unified response amid a spattering of giggles.

As the boys scattered in all directions, the Mr. Greer's voice called out again, loudly, "Oh and John, may I see you for a moment?"

"What'd you do this time, Jack?" one of the boys asked a bewildered John F. Kennedy.

"I don't know, but I'm about to find out." he responded in his thick Bostonian accent.

As Kennedy scampered off to catch up with his teacher, Lucy cast a quick look at Rufus and Flynn before setting off after them. "Lucy, What the hell are you doing?" Rufus hissed.

"I'm going to follow him." Lucy said matter of factly. "That's why we're here, isn't it? To make sure nothing happens to him?"

"Lucy, you can't just be following around students in a school…somebody is going to think you are…"

"A concerned mother." Lucy said with a nod towards Flynn as she lifted the list the headmaster had given her, "who wants to find the best possible school for her son. You two should go to the boy's dormitories and see if you can find out if anything suspicious has been going on over there. I highly doubt Rittenhouse would attack him so openly in front of classmates and teacher, but in his room?" she gave them both a meaningful look before she turned on her heel.

Flynn bit his lip in thought as Lucy began making her way towards the retreating figures of John F. Kennedy and Mr. Greer. "Are you sure it's wise, splitting up like this?" he asked finally.

Lucy shrugged slightly, as she walked and turned her head to respond, "Look, I'm an academic…I know how to talk to other academics. We'll get much farther along if we can put the staff on alert, have them report anything they see as suspicious to the authorities."

Flynn watched her walk away for a while before reluctantly turning and making his way back towards Rufus who was looking very nervous. "I don't like this one bit." he admitted to Flynn. "Lucy is right. Why the hell would they come to a school? There are too many witnesses. Even if no one believed this Kennedy was going to amount to much, his family was still important…they're taking one hell of a chance coming after him where he is literally surrounded by teachers and other students."

"Unless the Rittenhouse sleeper isa teacher…" Flynn muttered as he looked once more towards where Lucy had retreated.

Walking briskly, Lucy made her way down the large, buttressed colonnade, the heels of her shoes echoing with every step she took. Mr. Greer had just opened his office door to usher the young JFK inside when he stopped suddenly at the sight of her approaching figure.

"May I help you, ma'am?" he asked pleasantly.

Pretending to look lost, Lucy held up the list she had received from the headmaster explaining, "I was hoping to talk with a few of these teachers while my husband talks with the resident advisors." she nodded at the retreating forms of Flynn and Rufus. "I'm afraid I am completely lost."

Taking the list from her and offering her a warm smile, Mr. Greer scanned it through the glasses perched on the end of his nose and announced, "Ah, well, you're in luck. I'm Mr. Greer…I teach English Literature. What can I do for you?"

Lucy tilted her head at the young John F. Kennedy now sitting in his office, "Oh well, I don't want to disturb you. I can just wait here until…"

"Not at all." Mr. Greer replied kindly. "John…our conversation can wait. Why don't you step outside for a while?"

Looking a bit relieved by his stay of execution, John F. Kennedy offered Lucy a winning smile and closed the door behind him.

Hating that her plan had backfired, that Kennedy was now on the other end of the door, Lucy began to protest, "Oh no, really…I don't mind waiting…"

"Nonsense, it's no trouble at all." Mr. Greer smiled, "I take it you have taken an interest in Choate?"

"Yes." Lucy said with a nod, "Quite suddenly, it seems." Still determined to watch after John, Lucy made for the door once more, "Really, I should go…you're obviously very busy…"

"Not at all, actually." Mr. Greer said with a grin. "I'm all finished with my classes this afternoon." He nodded to the door, "I take it upon myself to watch out for Mr. Kennedy out there. He's a good kid, but he lives in his brother's shadow and as a result he makes a name for himself in other ways."

Quirking her brow, Lucy muttered, "I can't imagine what that must be like for him…to never quite measure up to what your family expects of you."

Mr. Greer smiled broadly at her, "Family is family. You can't escape it even if you try." He sighed as he leaned casually on his desk, "No, it's the other students I worry about with John. He has his gang of friends to be sure, but he's plagued by nicknames and teasings..."

"Mr. Greer," Lucy cut in abruptly, "it's clear to me that you have an interest in…that student's well-being, have you…noticed anybody unusual? Maybe someone lurking around asking questions?"

"You mean besides you?" Mr. Greer said pointedly.

Lucy chuckled nervously, "Well, not exactly what I meant, no…but.."

"I wouldn't worry yourself too much over Mr. Kennedy. He's not expected to get very far."

"So, I've heard." Lucy answered mechanically, noting the change in Mr. Greer's demeanor. Making her way to the door once more, Lucy called out, "I…I really should be going…"

"What's the rush?" Mr. Greer said silkily. "I thought we were having a pleasant conversation…Ms. Preston."

At the sound of her name being uttered by a man who most definitely should not have known her name, Lucy froze. Her hand gripped the door knob tighter as Mr. Greer cooly pulled out a gun from inside of his suit coat and aimed it at her. "I think you and I have an awful lot to talk about, don't you?"

Notes:

Okay, so now we are definitely in new territory! The timeline is definitely diverging now. While it would have been nice and heck of a lot easier to leave things as is and just make a timeline with happy Lyatt (and no RH trash in the bunker) I wanted to weave in canon with new ideas. I'm a glutton for punishment, what can I say?

As for the background on Kennedy - that's all true...as most of you, I'm sure know. He was actually called "Ratface" in school and most of the teachers believed he would not amount to much though the students voted him most likely to succeed. Though he spent most of his time in and out of the hospital, his charisma definitely made up for it.

Thanks so much for reading and please, if you are so inclined, leave a review.